Our history

The Security Council on Monday adopted resolution S/RES/2382 (2017), stressing the important contribution that United Nations policing can provide in peacekeeping and special political missions throughout the conflict cycle.

Upon request of the United Nations Secretary-General the High-Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations (HIPPO) presented its report on how United Nations peace operations can be made more effective, efficient and responsive in June 2015 (A/70/95). In his implementation report, the Secretary-General welcomed the progress on the Strategic Guidance Framework, took note of the work on new modalities for planning and recruitment and tasked the Police Division to initiate an external review of its future function, structure and capacity (A/70/357). An independent review team began work in early 2016. Its report will feed into the Secretary-Generals report on United Nations Police, due by December 2016.

2014 – Adoption of Security Council Resolution 2185

In November, the Security Council adopted the first thematic resolution 2185 (2014) on international police peacekeeping, complementing guidance and strategic direction United Nations Police receives from the General Assembly Special Committee on United Nations Peacekeeping (C-34), the United Nations forum mandated to review comprehensively the whole question of peacekeeping operations in all their aspects.

2013 – Policy and Strategic Planning Advances

2012 – Civilian Police Experts

The completion of the mandate of the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste in December revealed a number of best practices, including the usage of civilian police experts as a complement to the existing deployment modalities of individual police experts and formed police units.

2011 – Secretary-General Report

In November, the Secretary-General issued the first report dedicated to United Nations Police (A/66/615). The report illustrates the growing importance of the United Nations Police as a central element in the achievement of sustainable peace and security, challenges faced and to better respond to those challenges, using scarce global resources in the most efficient manner.

1999 - First Formed Police Unit

The first formed police unit was deployed by the United Nations to the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). In December 1999, 4,613 United Nations Police were deployed in 11 United Nations peacekeeping operations.

1994 - Numbers Increase

By 1994, 1,677 United Nations Police were deployed in peacekeeping operations. In 2005, the name was changed from Civilian Police or CIVPOL to United Nations Police.